§527 not by mercy alone 315
b. In the inner meaning of the Word, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob mean the Lord in regard to his
divine nature and his divine human nature: 1893 , 4615 , 6098 , 6185 , 6276 , 6804 , 6847. Abraham is
unknown in heaven: 1834 , 1876 , 3229. David means the Lord in regard to his divine kingship:
1888 , 9954. The twelve apostles represented the Lord in regard to all the elements of the church,
and therefore to matters of faith and love: 2129 , 3354 , 3488 , 3858 , 6397. Peter represented the Lord
in respect to faith, James in respect to thoughtfulness, and John in respect to thoughtful works:
3750 , 10087. The statement that the twelve apostles would sit on twelve thrones and judge the
twelve tribes of Israel means that the Lord will judge according to the true and good elements of
faith and love: 2129 , 6397. The names of people and places in the Word do not make their way
into heaven, but change into things and states; and in fact the names cannot even be pronounced
in heaven: 1876 , 5225 , 6516 , 10216 , 10282 , 10432. Further, angels think without reference to roles:
8343 , 8945 [ 8985 ], 9007.
fervently they had spoken in the world from faith, or from the trust that
is meant by faith in its primary sense.
[ 4 ] When they have asked about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David,
about the apostles, whether they were not accepted into heaven out of sheer
mercy, angels have answered that none of them was. Each one was accepted
on the basis of his life in the world. They should realize where they were.
No one had more prestige than anyone else. They said that the reason these
individuals were mentioned in the Word with such respect was that they
referred in the deeper meaning to the Lord—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to
the Lord in respect to his divine nature and his divine human nature, David
to the Lord as to the regal divine nature, and the apostles to the Lord as to
divine truths. The angels do not pay any attention to these individuals when
the Word is being read by people on earth because their names do not cross
over into heaven. They are conscious of the Lord instead, as just noted. So
the Word that is in heaven (described above in § 259 ) never mentions them,
since that Word is the inner meaning of the Word that exists in the world.b
I can testify on the grounds of abundant experience that it is impos- 527
sible to grant the life of heaven to people who have led lives opposed
to it in the world. There have actually been people who believed that
they would readily accept divine truths after death when they heard them
from angels, that they would become believers and lead different lives,
so that they could be accepted into heaven. However, this has been tried
with any number of individuals (though only with people who shared
this same kind of belief), granted them so that they could learn that
there is no repentance after death. Some of them did understand truths
and seemed to accept them; but the moment they turned back to the
life of their own love they rejected them and even argued against them.
Some rejected them on the spot, unwilling even to listen to them. Some